Higher train volumes, significant increases in traffic congestion, and safety concerns led the Illinois Department of Transportation to seek improvements at US Route 30 and the Canadian National railroad tracks. We conducted Phase I preliminary engineering and Phase II design engineering services for this project’s needs, which included provisions for a proposed grade separation.  Our efforts included an analysis of various overpass and underpass grade separation alternatives and several centerline alternative alignments. In addition to a new highway bridge spanning the CN’s tracks, improvements included new retaining walls, roadway reconstruction, a new frontage road system, and capacity enhancements at the US Route 30/Sauk Trail intersection. By addressing these key challenges and additional constraints such as an accelerated schedule and extensive stakeholder coordination, this project received an ACEC-IL Engineering Excellence Merit Award.